Campbell P.R.S.

What is Campbell P.R.S.?

Campbell P.R.S. stands for Power, Reps and Speed. Brandon Campbell Diamond, the author of PHUL, wrote it as a 12-week strength program for the squat, bench press, deadlift and overhead press. Each lift rotates through three kinds of day: a power day of heavy triples and doubles, a rep day of moderate weight for 4 to 6 reps, and a speed day of light weight moved as fast as you can. Over each 3-week phase every lift hits all three once.

The first nine weeks are three phases. Base builds the groove, Volume adds work at lighter weights, and Intensity gets heavy, with the power doubles ramping up across the sets. All of it runs off the Campbell Max, a training max at 95% of your one-rep max (1RM), so there are fewer grinders and missed reps. Weeks 10 to 12 are the peak: a heavy triple, then a heavy single to check your opener, then a taper into a meet or a max test, all off your 1RM. Durata carries every week of Brandon's sheet as written.

Is Campbell P.R.S. right for you?

Brandon wrote it for intermediate lifters and up who can pick weights by feel and want to get stronger on the big lifts. If you are newer, he suggests running PHUL first. You train four days in any seven: a good default is two on, one off, two on, two off, and the days are numbered, not named, so you can start on any day of the week. If you are training for a meet, keep a strict schedule so the peak lands on meet day.

You need your 1RM on squat, bench press, deadlift and overhead press (Brandon's sheet calls it your true max). If you don't know one, estimate it from a recent hard set of weight and reps. Durata works out the Campbell Max for you, rounded to your plates the way Brandon's sheet does.

How progression works

The main lifts are loaded from your maxes, and the percentages do the work. The Campbell Max stays the same for the whole block while the phases move from Base to Volume to Intensity, then the peak switches to your 1RM. Day 4's touch and go bench runs 2.5% heavier than the paused bench on day 2. On a power day, if the bar is moving fast you can go a little heavier or turn the last set into an AMRAP, but stop one rep short of failure and never miss reps. After week 12, put your new 1RMs in and run it again.

Accessories are picked by feel, at RPE 7 to 8, two or three reps left in the tank. Where Brandon gives a rep range, Durata adds weight once every set reaches the top of it; where he gives a fixed rep count, you choose the weight. Each accessory changes from week to week inside a phase to work a different weak point, and if your main lifts start to slide, Brandon's advice is to cut accessories first.

Durata runs this progression for you — every session's weights are computed from your training maxes.

Campbell P.R.S. — every set, every session

Percentages are of the Campbell Max or your 1RM, as marked.

Campbell P.R.S. — common questions

Campbell P.R.S. side by side